It is often desirable to stop a motor that moves an item or object during a certain point along its desired path or at its end-of-stroke position. For example, in some touch-free electronic dispensers, such as soap or sanitizing dispensers, a motor may move an actuator to drive a portion of a pump to pump a fluid and then move the portion of the pump back to its original position to re-prime the pump chamber, and the motor is stopped so that the actuator is positioned at its end of stroke so that it is positioned and ready to drive the actuator to dispense another dose of fluid. It is common to equip such dispensers with an “end-of-stroke” switch so that the processor in the dispenser can determine when the actuator has reached the end of its travel and stop the motor. The use of an end-of-stroke switch increases the cost of the dispenser and requires additional wiring and/or a circuit board to place the switch in circuit communication with the processor that controls the motor.
In addition, manufacturers of dispensers often provide dispensers to customers at little to no charge and sell proprietary refill units for use in those dispensers. In some instances, unscrupulous users purchase unauthorized refill units and use those unauthorized refill units in the dispensers.